WASHINGTON, March 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department says U.S. and Chinese officials will meet in Washington next week to consider moves for resuming six-party talks with North Korea.
The talks, begun in 2003, aim at persuading North Korea to give up its plan for making nuclear weapons.
Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a briefing in Washington that China's special envoy for North Korea, Ning Fukui, will visit the U.S. Capital March 10-11for talks with senior U.S. officials.
Christopher Hill, head of the U.S. delegation to the Six-Party talks, and U.S. special envoy for North Korea Joseph Detrani will represent Washington in the talks.
"The purpose of Ning's visit is to consult on how to convene the next round of Six Party talks," said Boucher. Ning will also talk with officials at the National Security Council.
The six parties -- the United States, Russia, China, Japan and the two Koreas -- held three rounds of talks beginning in 2003. A fourth round planned for last September did not take place because North Korea refused to attend.
